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by Moonphase
Summary: Toad hides in the bushes while watching a family coming home from hospital. Reflective one shot.


Toad crouched down, hidden behind the Rhodendron bushes. It was the least he could do in the beautiful, placid little suburb; stay hidden, stay out of the way. He didn't have the right to sully the perfect, stainless surroundings with his filthy presence. These were life lessons he had learned well throughout his young life.

He was watching carefully one house in particular. It lay opposite him across the road. It was so safe and cute and boring with its standard white picket fence, immaculate garden and the basketball hoop drilled onto the red brick wall above the garage. Though, for Toad it representing everything he would never have. It represented The American Dream, the hope that by working your way up and trying your best, you would one day make something of yourself regardless of your gender, race or sexuality. But that opportunity was closed to Toad; he was too ugly, too different and above all a villain. Creatures like Toad didn't advance. They just got older.

Despite him constantly attempting to flirt with Wanda he knew the truth, the chances of him getting a girlfriend (never mind a wife) were as likely as him being able to reach out into the sky and pluck each star from its station. He would never live in a little house like this, with a pretty wife and a couple of kids, washing his car on Sundays and arguing with her about what school the kids should go to. Todd Tolansky would remain the dirty little creep he always had been.

Toad bent down fully so that his knees were at the same height of his shoulders, crouching in his characteristically animalistic manner. It was the position his body felt most comfortable with, his long legs and arms could finally relax in this crouch.

'_If anything,'_ he thought to himself_, 'I'm gonna get less human with time.'_

People like Cyclops and Jean had it better than they thought, while they were somewhat isolated from the majority of humanity, they at least they looked the part. Toad was certain he was getting a bit weirder looking everyday even though his 'powers' stayed as lame as ever.

With sickly pale skin, yellowing eyes and his odd body structure that begged for him to leap rather than walk or run, Toad was amazed he had ever gotten away with being human. However people had always suspected him, even before it all began to get out about the X-men and the Brotherhood.

A car pulled into the drive way, causing Toady to shake himself out of his self-pitying ruminations and to pay attention. A man with balding brown hair stepped out of the front seat. He opened the back door and out jumped a little girl who looked around five or six and a little boy who was around ten years old. They were all thin, pale and brunettes. Getting out of the other side of the car was a woman. She was short and a little dumpy. Her hair was straight and pale. Her belly was rounded from pregnancy and in her arms she carried a small bundle.

Toad's eyes widened as he unconsciously leaned forwards. Was it a boy or a girl?

He couldn't help but wonder if it would be like him. Of course it wasn't now, if it was now none of the family would be looking as serene as they were at that moment. But maybe...in the future?

It would be nice to have someone else from the family who was like him.

Toad turned around behind the bush, no longer watching the family who were going inside. That was unfair of him to think, to hope for. "_No one should have-ta look like me_," he thought morosely. "_I don't think I'd really wish looking and smelling like this on anyone. But...I am kinda lonely_."

He stood up and brushed the dust of his butt. "Man," he drawled out loud, his Brooklyn accent as strong and unapologetic as ever, "I should get me down to Hot Topic and get me an emo outfit," he chuckled to himself and stretched. There was no point staying unhappy. Because Toady knew his fate already, he didn't want to bog himself down with it. Only Toad could ever make him happy. So he relied on himself to be cheerful and accepting of himself.

With one last look at the family home, Toad hopped away.

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**A.N. Just a little one shot. I want to write a proper multi-fic about Toad one day, and I just wanted to a get a feel for the character. Thank you for reading.**


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